COM DEV International Ltd
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COM DEV International Ltd. OM DEV, “Canada’s largest ex- content treaties,” the writ- porter of equipment for commu ers of COM DEV’s annual Cnications satellites,”1 supplies report actually meant to products for several military satellite say “arms control trea- systems that are fundamental to the ties.” Although Google. www.comdev.ca/pdf/ar_2003.pdf “missile defense” program. COM DEV com, the internet’s premier was also a major subcontractor assist- search engine, is able to ing MacDonald Dettwiller and Associ- scan the contents of more ates (MDA) on the Synthetic Aperture than eight billion web Radar (SAR) of Canada’s Radarsat-1. pages5, it could not locate (Stay tuned for more on MDA, Radarsat a single source, besides and SAR in an upcoming issue of Press COM DEV’s website, that for Conversion!) mentions the phrase “arms Interestingly, COM DEV was the content” treaties. only Canadian company to be thanked Since COM DEV in the acknowledgements of U.S. Space was able to make such an Command’s 1997 Vision for 2020 docu- obvious error, it is likely The cover of COM DEV’s annual re- ment, which outlined their determina- that the company’s brain- port for 2004 is emblazoned with a tion to further dominate the trust is quite oblivious to heart-tugging photo of beautiful, militarization of space, including space- the fact that these two smiling children in a multiracial weaponization programs envisioned for “uses” of their products “missile defense.” And, COM DEV’s are totally contradictory. classroom. It lists “missile defense” support for “missile defense” was also The design and production as a use of COM DEV products and demonstrated when it took a public of “missile defense” weap- in a glaring puff of self-congratula- stand promoting Canada’s political en- ons systems was, afterall, tion, proclaims: “We are truly mak- dorsement of this controversial weap- prohibited for 30 years by ing the world a better place.” ons program. that cornerstone of all arms The Canadian Defence Indus- control treaties, the 1972 Anti-Ballistic • Enabling deployed military person- tries Association (CDIA) website pro- Missile Treaty. It was President George nel to communicate with home vides “profiles” about its members. W. Bush’s pursuit of the “missile • Homeland security CDIA describes COM DEV as: defense” weapons program that pre- • Averting potential terrorist at- “one of the largest designer-manu- cipitated the American administration’s tacks6 facturers of microwave radio and abrogation of that treaty in June of 2002. Finally, in a glaring puff of self-con- other hardware subsystems for This same COM DEV report is gratulation, the report proclaims: “We space satellites. It operates from fa- happily entitled “Better solutions for a are truly making the world a better cilities in Canada [Cambridge, On- better world.” Its cover is emblazoned place.”7 tario and Moncton, New Brunswick] with a heart-tugging photo of beauti- Another way in which COM and the United Kingdom [Aylesbury, ful, smiling children in a multiracial class- DEV is “making the world a better Buckinghamshire], designing and room. The document conveys to share- place,” at least for those building “mis- manufacturing advanced products holders much general information about sile defense” weapons systems, is by and subsystems that are sold to ma- the company’s various noble efforts to contributing to the fastest and most jor satellite prime contractors for use supply “space and defence contractors secret Military Satellite Communica- in communications, space science, throughout the world with [satellite] tions system (MILSATCOM). remote sensing and military satellites components and subsystems.” Of and spacecraft.”2 course, all this is purportedly done, not MILSATCOM The CDIA’s description of COM DEV just for profits, but in the name of such In a 2002 “working paper” called had a list of “keywords” that included charitable causes as: “Canada and nuclear weapons: Cana- a dead giveaway, the term: “Missile • Integrated defence systems dian policies related to, and connec- Defense.” • Peacekeeping support tions to, nuclear weapons,” Project COM DEV’s 2004 annual report Ploughshares’ researcher Bill Robinson to stockholders was also blunt enough mentions COM DEV on a list of “Re- to mention “missile defense” in a tell- cent Canadian Suppliers for U.S. Nu- ing list of “uses” for COM DEV’s mili- 155 Sheldon Dr. clear Weapon Support Systems.” COM tary/space products. Oddly enough, Cambridge ON N1R 7H6 DEV made it to this list due to its ex- however, this list of “uses” also in- Phone: (613) 295-5607 Fax: (613) 569-5691 ports of “electro-mechanical switches” cludes the “verification of arms con- Email: rholdway@ca.inter.net for “Advanced Extremely High Fre- 4 8 tent treaties.” Presumably, by “arms Website: www.comdev.ca quency [EHF] Milsatcom” payloads. June 2005 (Issue # 56) Press for Conversion! 43 Advanced EHF MILSATCOM: COM, and will position Canadian In 1999, Canada signed industry to be more competitive in the military satellite-communica- a Memorandum of Un- tions markets.”13 (Emphasis added) derstanding with the The Canada-U.S. “co-operative U.S. Department of agreement on MILSATCOM” referred Defense on bilateral to by COM DEV is mentioned in a Ca- efforts to develop nadian Treasury Board Report on DND: “On 25 August 99, Treasury Board Advanced Extremely granted preliminary project approval High Frequency Mili- for the Protected MILSATCOM tary Satellite Commu- Project. Treasury Board also pro- nications. Since then, the vided expenditure authority for the Liberal government has al- implementation of Phase 1 at an esti- mated cost of $254 million and located at least $554 mil- granted approval for the Department lion towards this technology of National Defence to enter into a which is essential for fighting nuclear war and for using MILSATCOM MOU [Memorandum “missile defense” weapons systems. COM DEV is a leading of Understanding] with the U.S. De- producer of components used for AEHF MILSATCOM. partment of Defense. The MOU was signed 16 November 99.”14 Besides this product’s role as a satellite communications to years of This Treasury Board report also component within America’s nuclear- “research and development work mentions the all-important “Industrial war fighting infrastructure, COM DEV’s completed under three [Canadian] Benefits” that drive such projects. It Advanced EHF hardware for MILSAT- government programs devoted to notes that DND “will work with Cana- COM also figures within the U.S. “mis- advancing satellite communications: dian industry to optimize opportunities sile defense” program. As the Penta- • the Canadian Space Agency [CSA] for Canadian content.”15 gon has pointed out, it requires “super /Communications Research Centre In November 2003, the Treasury high frequency secure voice and high - International Mobile Satellite Board approved spending an additional data rate transmissions” for a variety Communications Program; $300 million on Phase II of this project. of purposes including • the [DND] Department of National It is expected to be completed by the “worldwide military command and Defence’s EHF MILSATCOM summer of 2014.16 How much of the control, crisis management, relay of Technology Development IF [in- $550 million, already allocated by the intelligence and early warning data, frared] Receiver and Channelized Canadian government to this particu- treaty monitoring, diplomatic and Downconvertor program; and lar military-satellite communications Presidential communications, and • the CSA/CRC [Communications project, will end up in COM DEV’s ac- communications support for de- Research Centre] Advanced counting books is unknown. We do ployed tactical forces.”9 SATCOM program.”12 know, however, that thanks to Cana- Such speedy and secure relay- Of the three, above-mentioned dian government support, COM DEV ing of “early warning data” is “espe- Canadian government programs that has played an important role in devel- cially crucial to the success of any U.S. supported COM DEV’s efforts, DND’s oping a “unique Canadian technology” missile defense system.”10 As Marcia program on “EHF MILSATCOM” is for this project. This COM DEV prod- S. Smith, of the U.S. Congressional Re- most directly relevant to “missile uct, called “Beam*Link,” is hyped as search Service, states: defense” technologies. A DND media something that will “increase the use- “Whether missile defense weapons release, from the previous year (1998), able bandwidth of military communica- ultimately are based in space or on gives further details on government tions satellites by about 30 per cent.”17 the ground, a missile defense sys- efforts to assist MILSATCOM R&D Besides directly financing con- tem would require satellites for early among Canadian corporations. It notes, tracts for this work, Canada’s govern- warning, communications and other with regards to DND’s “co-operative ment has several other ways to boost functions.”11 agreement with the U.S. Department of domestic military corporations. For ex- How did COM DEV come to be Defense” on military satellite commu- ample, Defence Research and Develop- such a world leader in advanced EHF nications, that both governments ment Canada (DRDC), employs full-time MILSATCOM? In a pattern that repeats “recognize the development of ad- military scientists at its facilities across itself again and agian, a big part of the vanced technology as an important the country. These publicly-paid sci- answer to this question has to do with part of the co-operative agreement. entists work hand-in-glove with their Canadian government funding. When The development of unique Cana- colleagues in private-sector military in- COM DEV received a contract from the dian technology will demonstrate dustries to invent countless new mili- Hughes Space and Communications Canada’s commitment towards a co- tary technologies. The rights to these Co. in 1999, it credited its expertise in operative agreement on MILSAT- publicly-funded inventions are, as of- 44 Press for Conversion! (Issue # 56) June 2005 ten as possible, transferred to Canadian businesses so that they can profit from exports, primarily to the U.S.